Conventionally, in a semiconductor device, and particularly in a power module dealing with a large current, a wiring member such as a bonding wire is used in signal wiring so as to control the operation of power semiconductor elements included the power module. In other words, a control signal pad of a power semiconductor element and a control signal terminal for electrically connecting the power module to the outside are connected to each other by a wiring member such as a bonding wire.
In a power module to be used in a mechanically vibrating environment such as a transportation equipment or the like, the bonding wire for connecting the control signal pad and the control signal terminal may be disconnected due to vibration and thermal fatigue, which makes it impossible to control the power module.
Generally in a power module, the control signal terminal is arranged around the power semiconductor element, and the control signal terminal is connected to the control signal pad by wire bonding or the like. Thus, it is necessary to secure a space for disposing the control signal terminal and a space for moving a bonding tool during the wire bonding. Therefore, a power module using a bonding wire may become large in size due to an increase in its footprint.
In order to deal with such a problem, Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2010-287726 (PTL 1), for example, discloses a structure in which a control signal terminal fixed inside an insulating block is bonded to a control signal pad of a power semiconductor element via a solder. With such a structure, it is possible to suppress the breakdown of the control signal pad and the control signal terminal due to thermal fatigue. Further, since the control signal terminal extends along the thickness direction crossing the main surface of the power semiconductor element, bonding the control signal terminal in such a manner makes it possible to suppress an increase in the footprint of the semiconductor device.
However, in the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2010-287726, the semiconductor chip is soldered to the base lead, and the positional relationship between the circuit board to be disposed below the base lead and the control signal pad or the like is inaccurate. In this regard, Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 2015-41716 (PTL 2) and Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 8-125115 (PTL 3), for example, disclose a power semiconductor device such as a power module in which the circuit board and the control signal terminal or the like are accurately arranged.